Laois Representation at Westminster

Laois representation at Westminster

1801-1918

At the start of the nineteenth century Irish representation at Westminster was very limited as was Irish M.P.’s power. There was a passionate Irish nationalism that contended with a determined British imperialism and a desire for social and economic justice and self-determination rebelled against social degradation and economic expoitation. With regard to politics and nationalism, the English imposed their form and terms on Irish-English relationships. More, they structured the Irish political mind but they did not and could not, provide its content.

That is to say, the Irish did not contrive their own political framework and ideologies, they accepted what the British had contrived for them as they had no other choice.

Within my essay I am going to discuss the changing factors of the elections of County Laois and how from 1801-1922 the parliamentary representations at Westminster for the county went from being members of the protestant landed class to more energetic party members and businessmen within the county until finally Ireland received homerule in 1922. I will look at where possible, how the people got elected, the pledges they made to the electorate, the stances they took on national matters and if or not their was any corruption or bribery within the county with regards to elections.

Each county in Ireland had M.P’s that represented the county in Westminster. Laois or Queens county as it was called had two M.P’s. A law passed in 1801 ensured that members of parliament represented the interest of property and privilege. This law co-in sided with the huge amount of landed class in Ireland at the time. However this changed somewhat in 1918 when a new law was passed giving all voters equal value as M.P’s had to represent the population as a whole. In 1801 in Laois the landed class was very much to the fore and landlordism was evident within the results of the election.

Sir John Parnell (gran-uncle to C.S. Parnell) owned estates in Laois and was elected in 1801. However, he died in the same year and a man called William Wellesley-Pole replaced him. The other man elected was Charles Henry Coote. There are no records of votes polled for any election in Laois until 1818 which co-insides with the equal rights law passed in the same year. Both Coote and Pole were part of hung-over families from the eighteenth century and owned vast amounts of land in the county “The largest was Sir Charles Cootes 47,452 acres centred on Ballyfin House. The twelve landlords owning the largest estates owned 163,123 acres or more than 38% of the area of the county and the total valuation of the county was 31% of the land valuation for the county as a whole.”

William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington (1763вЂ"1845), known between 1821 and 1842 as The Lord Maryborough of Queens County, was a British politician and an elder brother of the Duke of Wellington. He was educated at Eton and became a tory, he was M.P for Laois from 1801-1821. In 1821 he was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Maryborough.

Charles Henry Coote who succeeded

second Baron Coote and the Baronetcy devolved to another cousin also Charles, who became ninth

Baronet and was M.P for Queens County 1821-1847 and 1852-1859. He was called the earl of Mountrath and was paid Ð'Ј15,000 as compensation for loss of interest